The seven affiliated colleges will no longer remain under Dhaka University, as previously decided. While the government plans to establish a separate university for these institutions, the colleges will, in the meantime, operate under an integrated framework supervised by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Under this interim arrangement, one of the principals from the seven colleges will serve as the director. Additionally, representatives from Dhaka University’s examination office, admissions office, registrar’s office, and accounts office will be included in the framework.
The Ministry of Education has requested the Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University to implement UGC’s recommendation. This request was formally communicated in a letter dated 2 March, a university branch official at the ministry confirmed.
The seven colleges—Dhaka College, Eden Mohila College, Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Begum Badrunnesa Government Women’s College, Government Bangla College, and Government Titumir College—collectively accommodate around 200,000 students and over 1,000 teachers.
Initially, in 2017, these colleges were affiliated with Dhaka University following a policy shift during the previous Awami League government, which aimed to bring government colleges under public universities instead of the National University. However, persistent issues related to examinations, academic quality, and administrative inefficiencies led to repeated student protests.
Until the establishment of the new university, UGC has proposed an interim structure to oversee academic and administrative functions. According to UGC’s recommendation, all ongoing academic programmes under Dhaka University will continue as usual, while new undergraduate and postgraduate admissions from the 2024–25 session will be managed under the integrated framework.
This structure will operate independently of Dhaka University’s main campus. The college whose principal is appointed as director will host the framework’s office, and financial matters will be managed through a separate bank account under Dhaka University.
A UGC member will lead a monitoring body within this framework, with the director being a principal from one of the seven colleges, likely from Dhaka College, according to UGC sources. Representatives from Dhaka University’s registrar’s office will oversee student administration, while officials from the examination and accounts offices will manage academic assessments and financial transactions. Admissions will be handled by a dedicated online committee.
UGC has advised that Dhaka University’s Academic Council and Syndicate urgently approve this proposal. Each college will also establish a ‘help desk’ under its principal’s supervision to facilitate admissions, exams, and other administrative matters. UGC will provide guidance as needed for the effective implementation of the framework.